The Penumbra Effect Reader Insert
by Verdigurl
Summary: Just when you thought that being alone and dead was alright, a new family moves into the mansion with their sons, Peter, Alfred and Arthur. Human Names Used. Some gender bending. EnglandXReaderfem
1. Chapter 1

**Story: The Penumbra Effect**

**Chapter: 1**

**Rating: T for Potty Mouth**

**Warnings: Humans names used. Reader Insert.**

**Authoresses Note: Hiya everybody! This is my first Reader insert so be nice, okay? Anywho, hope you enjoy!**

**~Verdigurl**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 1 – Arrival<strong>

You were quite annoyed at the sound of the moving van made as it put-put-putted up the gravel driveway. It ruined the eerie quietness of the morning. To be honest, you hadn't heard or seen a van, or car for that matter, for over ten years. Since the closest road to the mansion was a good two K's away, so you hadn't heard much for a while. You were just starting to enjoy being by yourself when the real estaters had shown up. I mean, the mansion was _yours!_ You were here first! They had no right to sell it off. Okay, so the mansion wasn't actually yours to start with, but you had been here for a long time. You'd think that since there were no official owners of the mansion, it would go to you, right? Nope. And now, the new owners were moving in. Great. Just great.

A commotion of voices caught your ear. You looked out of the second story window to see a boy with sandy blonde hair run out of the car and spread out his arms like a fighter jet. He ran straight to the front door. Following him, two more 'ducklings' emerged from the car. The smallest one also had sandy hair and fuzzy eyebrows which looked a little on the fuzzy side. Poor kid. Bet he'll get hell in a couple of years if he doesn't team up with a tweaser.

The second duckling was taller than the other two and slower, so you assumed he was the oldest. He had these absolutely _beautiful_ green eyes. They were _so_ gorgeous. And then you saw his eyebrows. Yeah. You took back those words said about the small one. If you _ever_ got your hands on some tweasers, you'd do it yourself.

* * *

><p>Your curiosity got the better of you eventually.<p>

So, you decided to go downstairs and spy on them. Your hand trailed down the banister as you hade down the grand staircase in the mansion. You found them in the living room, unpacking boxes and waving goodbye to the men who helped them. You didn't bother to hide. _Hello? Dead girl?_ It's not like they were going to see you or anything.

Their father was sooooo tall. And scary, just by looking at you. He spoke in a deep voice, which made you shiver.

"Berwald." The blonde woman said across the room, lifting a box labelled '_ Peter's Stuff'._ " Would you mind unpacking the stuff for the kitchen? That way, I'll be able to cook dinner tonight."

" 'right" He said, picking up another box. The woman smiled and tucked a blonde curl behind her ear.

The boy with glasses was loud, you found. _Very _loud. " COME ON IGGY! LET'S GO EXPLORING!"

"Shut up! Don't call me that! I'-" Green eyes blazed before being smacked in the back of the head by the woman, their mother. She frowned. You liked this chick. She was feisty.

" Arthur, don't you yell at your brother! And Alfred, we don't have time to play, we have to unpack. Go do yours and Peter's rooms. Arthur, stay here and help your father."

Both boys sighed and nodded. As they left the room, Arthur and Berwald opened a couple of boxes and pulled out a couple of photo frames. You snorted. " Finally! Some Drama! It's been too long!"

Arthur dropped the frame. The glass shattered on the wooden floorboards. He gasped and looked around. Berwald sighed and grabbed a dustpan and brush from the closet. He helped Arthur. "D'd y' t'k' y'r m'd'c'n'?" **( An: Did you take your medicine?) **

"Yes, this morning….still….I thought I heard…"

Berwald sighed and ruffled his sons hair. " M'b' 'n 'rl' n'ght th'n?" **( Maybe an early night then?)**

They didn't notice you backing out of the room. Had he heard you? No, it wasn't possible, you made sure of that. You screamed at the real estate agents. Singed badly for the visitors. Swore at others. You got nothing back.

You shook your head. Maybe he had heard something else. What a weird kid.

* * *

><p>By the end of the first week, you had everybody figured out. Or at least, You attempted to.<p>

Berwald was the father and the head of the family. He worked as a CEO of a company that built supermarkets and distributed food. He was an honest and hardworking man. He hardly ever spoke or did things without a good reason. You respected him for that.

The mothers name was Tina. You had learned after Berwald smacked her playfully on the ass. She too was a quiet person, but was very happy most of the time. Always had her hands full. She reminded you of your own mother, but in a different way.

Their youngest son was called Peter and he had just turned seven. He was quite short, just reached the middle of your torso. He liked the sea and was always cheery, like his mamma. Alfred was the middle child. He hated to be left out of stuff, so that was why he was very loud and very, very patriotic. So much that he had painted his room a vivid red, white and blue. You thanked god, or in this case, Berwald, that he didn't paint the rest of the house like this. You weren't used to all the colour.

The eldest was Arthur, the one who might have heard you. You had heard that he had to at prescription pills because he was a schizophrenic. Something about a bunny and faeries. Quite sad, really. Sad that you couldn't see them, which meant that they were actually figments of his imagination. But he did have his moments when he seemed normal.

That was a lot to learn in the space of a week. You went to lie down for a bit.

* * *

><p>Like the morning of your passing, the dew on the grass was fresh. It smelt sweet and clean. The boys had gone out onto the courtyard and started to play in the meadow, heading towards the eastern boundary. Arthur stayed on the cobblestones, drinking tea and reading a book. Like a real man :D.<p>

They inched closer to the bushes. You huffed, crossing your arms. Alfred kicked the ball hard and it bounced inches away from the nest.

" I bet the hornets are gonna love the little buggers." You muttered, turning around. Arthur immediately dropped everything and ran towards them, yelling to get away from there.

" _I knew it!"_ You yelled, jumping. "_ I knew you could hear me!"_

You knew it. He was sooo busted now. The hornets chased after them as they ran past you and into the house, slamming the door behind them. You were still standing on the cobblestones ,smiling.

Oh what fun you'll have.

* * *

><p><strong>So? Whad'ya think? Tell me! Tell me!<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Story: The Penumbra Effect**

**Chapter: 2**

**Rating: T for Potty Mouth**

**Warnings: Humans names used. Reader Insert.**

**Authoresses Note:* Slides into a room that has wooden floorboards with fluffy socks* Hello everybody! All I do is ignore my emails for a day and 'nek minut' (Lol, kiwi joke) there are all these emails from Fanfiction! So I guess some thanks are in order. Thanks to: '**_**Aidylx16, Cloudydays12, Ayai, Laffingincircles' **_**for the story alerts, **_**'Myrna Maeve'**_** for the story alert and Review! I'm glad you like it! 3**

**~Verdigurl**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 2- Causing Mayhem<strong>

For starters, whatever you've seen in the movies about ghosts and ghouls, _forget it._ Most of it ain't true, except for the part where you can pass through solid objects. That, you can do with ease. But you do feel pain and emotions. You can't pass through an open fire without feeling the blaze. It's like being near an _actual_ fire. You can go near it but if you touch it, your toast.

And you don't know why Arthur can see you in the first place. Maybe because he was schizophrenic. Or maybe it was because he talked to himself in his bedroom. Take yesterday, for example. You had been brave enough to stay in the same room with him for an hour while he played with his teacups. *Shakes head* No matter how many times you stared and stared at the empty chair, you couldn't see that darn bunny. Eventually he gave up trying to get you to talk until you said, "How many sugars would you like Mr Flying Mint Bunny?"

Just the start of a very weird relationship.

* * *

><p>The piano room that lay on the ground floor, first door to the right from the front door, was your most favourite part of the house. The piano that was in there had been there ever before you had died. It was very old. Engraved in the front was <strong>Peter's &amp; Parkinson's Pianos Made in 1906<strong>. Every few days in a month, you'd go down there to play a couple of tunes you once knew. You know, to pass the time.

More frequently though, you had spent whole days at a time in there, locking the door and lying on the piano bench. It was made out of soft, red leather that was tinged with age. It was so quiet there you could hear the occupants in the next room. It made you happy.

And the other reason that you were in here was because you seriously wanted to creep Alfred out. He on several occasions had been picking on Peter and Arthur. And he'd disturbed your daydreams. It was becoming frequent by the minute.

Your eyes opened and forced your body to sit up, your head feeling quite heavy. The dead didn't sleep, they saw no need to. But after spending several years on your own without anybody to talk to, you get bored a lot. So, you just liked to lie there and rest your eyes. Just lying there.

The piano keys needed a clean, you thought to yourself as you lifted the piano lid. It was the middle of the night, but you could still see the keys with ease in this kind of light. You let your fingers lightly trail across the white keys before striking down on a G Major cord on the very end of the piano with your left hand.

The tremor of the bass echoed through the room, reaching all the way up to the wooden banisters on the ceiling. You waited two seconds. E. B flat. C. G. You let the melody of your lullaby flow through, the whispers of the words bubbling up your throat.

You purposefully played the wrong note and stopped abruptly, waiting for a reaction. Anybody's reaction. In seconds, Alfred flew into the room with an aluminium baseball bat, looking frantically around the room.

"Come out!" He yelled, pushing back the curtains and finding nothing." You can't hide from the hero!"

You didn't need to. You watched all of his ramblings from the comfort of the bench. He was breathing heavily, panicking. You giggled.

"No one in my family can even play that _good!_ " He sighed, slamming down the lid. If you weren't dead, that would've cut your fingers clean off. You waited for a moment after he left the room, locking the door.

You opened the lid and started to play again. He came back with Peter and Arthur, dressed in their P-J's. Arthur raised his eyebrow but gave no sign of noticing me. "What is it this time Alfred? Are you imagining things?"

"You can talk." He huffed, looking as pale as a ghost.** (AN: Aha! Geddit? Ghost! 'Cause yo- * Shot*) **

Peter yawned and rubbed his eyelash. "There's nothing here you Jerk….. Woke us up for nothing…"

"There was someone here! Someone was playing the piano!" He shut the lid again." And it couldn't have been any of us! We were all upstairs!"

Arthur shook his head. "Just go back to bed Alfred. I'm sure it will stop."

"Yeah" chimed Peter.

Alfred's eyebrows knotted together before he gave in. "Ng'right. Fine."

And that was that. For them anyways. You heard Alfred lock the room again before you went up to the door and unlocked it, leaving it open.

"_Hey!"_

Alfred ran back to the door and pointed at it, waving his arm frantically. "See! See! Do you see it! "

Arthur pulled his sleeve. "Bed._ Now."_

"No way dude! There's like some kind of supernatural thing going on here." You cracked up laughing and Arthur tried his best to ignore you. He pulled everybody out and closed the door behind him. And again, you opened it.

Alfred closed it.

You opened it.

He poked his head through the door and looked around. It was very quiet, that you couldn't hear anyone's breath, dead or alive.

And _then- _you slammed the door in his _face._ You heard the cry of pain when Alfred hit the ground and you stuck you head through the door, literally. He was rolling around on the ground, groaning. Arthur covered his mouth with his hand, hiding his smirk.

You heard the footsteps that were coming down the stairs that belonged to Tina, who was peeved to say the least. "What the hell are you doing up at this time of night? Don't you know you could wake up your father? Then what, huh?"

Alfred sat up. "_Mamma! There's a ghost in the house!" _ He looked like he was going to burst into tears at any second. He sprinted up the stairs and Peter followed, going back to bed.

Tina motioned to Arthur to hurry up. "Get to bed love, you start school tomorrow."

"Okay Mother, I'll just get a glass of water." He said in a calm voice, walking to the kitchen. You followed as he grabbed a glass from the cupboard. He turned on the tap. "Why did you do that?"

You shrugged. "Don't really know actually, you know, your brother is kind of a jerk."

"Don't I know that." He drank some water.

"You owe me a favour."

"What kind of favour?" He asked, one eyebrow raised. You leaned against the countertop, thinking.

"I need you to talk to someone for me. But you can't till tomorrow, he only comes once a week. Can you do that for me?"

"With that performance that you just put on?" He said, placing the glass in the dishwasher. "For you, a thousand times over."

**Alrighty, second chapter done! Hope you like it so far. But, this time I WANT reviews. Actually, scratch that, I NEED reviews. They are like food to me. So what are you doing just sitting there? FEED ME PEOPLE!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Story: The Penumbra Effect**

**Chapter: 3**

**Rating: T for Potty Mouth**

**Warnings: Humans names used. Reader Insert.**

**Authoresses Note: Oh yeah! I just got an email saying that my Chibitalia costume is being made right at this moment :D I'm, like, fan-girling at the moment. I'm like, totally becoming Poland! I also found out that I have English blood in me. So now I have English, French and Scottish. My last name is blatantly Scottish but still people ask me how it's pronounced. It's kinda sad, really.**

**Thanks to: **_**'Jimmy Collins, Edelweiss Daydream, Shadowraven45662 Punkwolf32,' **_**for the story alerts,**_** 'InvaderXJadeXUchiha'**_** for Faving me as an author! Woo! Actually, I thank you for ticking all four boxes: D '**_**Illusion **_**Fox' for Faving and to **_**'Illusion fox, laffingingincircles Mangopiee, Aidyx16 (You get a high five) Shadowraven45662, Myrna Maeve, Crepe and Macaron' (God I love your name: D) **_**for your lovely reviews. They mean the word to me what every one of you people do, even if it's just skim reading my story. (And to anyone whose reading and I've forgotten to mention your names. I've had to limit my internet usage now )**

**~Verdigurl**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 3- A Favour<strong>

School hadn't changed a bit, much to your dismay. It was still in the same, old brick building that lay on the hill. It was a medieval kind of feel meets new world looking buildings. School wasn't a place where you went to be friends with people. You went because you had to. Get in, get out was most of the student's motto. It wasn't a place you wanted to spend much of your time in. It wasn't that the education there was crap, because the stuff that you learn there is absolutely brilliant. It was the people there that got under your skin, the students that were in your year.

They were _horrible._ The French teacher was a pervert; the principal was scary as shit and there was this one guy that refused to leave you alone. The only reason that you didn't tell him to can it was because you once saw him rescue a baby chick. It was stupid that you couldn't, but there was that voice in the back of your head telling you not to be rude. And how can you say no to the voice in the back of your head? That's right, you _can't._

You sighed as you followed Arthur and Alfred into the main hallway. Alfred would be in the year group that held students aged 13-15 **(1)**. Arthur would be in the year group above that. You phased through the students as they passed down the hallway, trapped in their snow dome worlds. Arthur turned a sharp right and _Bam!_ Right into a boy with a weird shaped stick in his hand.

"Watch where ya going mate! "He yelled, running past Arthur, who was sitting on his arse. Moments later, a, err, person ran after the boy, with a sheep following him. You guess you could call him a guy. Or maybe a girl. It was hard to tell, since the kid wore his head up in two curls that looked like sheep's horns. Wait, they're letting _animals_ in school now? Maybe things have changed. No wait, no they haven't.

Arthur muttered something under his breath and shrugged it off. You fiddled with the sleeves on your dress as they covered your knuckles. He paused and reached the doorknob to the school office, Alfred followed.

The school secretary was Mrs Halie Treaquill and she was probably the most bitterest you had ever met. This was when you were alive. You know, back when she had colour in her hair and no black stuff on her teeth. The last time you talked to her, or rather, she yelled at you was when your little sister got in trouble and the primary school had to send her to your school. What an experience that day was.

"Can I help you?" She asked, lingering on the vowel. Her voice reminded me of the slug secretary out of _Monsters Inc._ Hey, maybe you should see if they were sisters….now that would be something to laugh about.

"Yes, Me and My brother are the new students, um, Arthur and Alfred Kirkland. We're here to pick up our timetables."

She got up out of her chair and made her way to the filing cabinet on the other side of the office. "Let's see, Kamp, Kandell, Ah, here Kirkland. Yes, here you are."

They thanked her, taking the bits of paper. "Now _scram!_"

_So polite, _you thought to yourself, inking sarcasm into your mind. You were tempted to say that out loud, but what was the point if only one person could hear you? _Never change Treaquill, never change._

Arthur parted ways with Alfred at the end of the hallway, promising to meet up at lunch. You followed Arthur, since probably all you would hear out of Alfred's mouth would be _"I'M THE HERO!" _whenever somebody asked who the hell he was.

"So what's first up Blondie? Is it art? It's been so long since I've touched paint….."

"I'm not doing art." He said, looking through the timetable." And its, _ugh,_ PE that's next. Oh god."

You sniggered. "Shame. You have to do physical fitness!"

"Shut up!" He muttered, almost in a talking voice. You understood why he was talking under his breath. Can you imagine a new student coming into your school and you saw them talking to air? Yeah, they'd get weird looks.

"The gym is over there" You said, pointing to the double doors at the end of the corridor. He did a curt nod and walked through the doors, right into a _dodge ball._ Lol. You looked over to see a tall, blonde male teacher call time out at the other students. Your lips lifted. "Hey! It's Vash! Ha! Didn't think he would be one to be a teacher!"

Arthur ignored me and thanked Vash as he helped him up. "Thank you sir, is this spell gym class?"

He nodded. "Yup, you must be the new kid. I'm Mr Zwingli, nice to meet you."

"I'm Arthur sir."

"I never liked school. Never was that popular." You said to the air.

Vash pointed to a door that branched off into the girls and guys changing rooms. "Go get changed and then come back out. I'll pair you with someone later. We're playing volleyball."

Arthur nodded and ventured off by himself. You didn't bother following him, since, you know, it would be kinda awkward having to change while there's a ghost staring at you. It was like this most of the day. Arthur would be late, walk into class and something would somehow be thrown in his face from an unknown assailant. In English, it was Shakespears: Othello. And he did eventually make some friends at lunch. So did Alfred, with a guy from South Korea. Arthur's friends were more diverse, shall we say. Yao was the guy from South Korea's brother and as was Kiku, who had really silky hair. It was _so silky._

A blonde haired boy made his way over to their table that was situated in the middle of the cafeteria. Wait, you had seen th-"Guten Tag, you must be the new student. I'm Luidwig, Head Boy. If you need anything, just ask."

"Thank you" Arthur said, shovelling the sandwich into his gob. You looked over to Alfred, who looked like he was eating his last meal.

"What the hell?" You yelled, pointing at him. "How are you not blowing up? Are you like a black hole or something?"

Arthur noticed that everybody else too, was staring at Alfred in awe. "Don't worry." He said, shrugging. "That's just how Alfred eats."

Boys got something up with his digestive system, you thought, shaking your head.

* * *

><p>School couldn't have ended sooner to your pleasure. Once Arthur had put away his stuff and had gotten changed, you pulled him down to the meadow where a man was raking up leaves into a pile. You pointed to the man. "That guy! That's the guy."<p>

Arthur eyed him. "Okay. And what do you want me to do with _that guy? ´_

"Ask him about me!"

"Wh-"

"Just do it!" you yelled, running up to the man. The man adjusted his hat to reveal vivid red locks. They shone in the afternoon sunshine. Arthur walked up to the man and introduced himself. "Hello, I'm Arthur!"

The man shook his hand. "Aye laddie, I believe you are the master's boy, am I right?"

He nodded. "I was wondering if you would allow me to ask you some questions?"

"'Kay, I'm Allistor, the head groundkeeper."

"Pleasure to meet you. How long have you worked here?"

"Since I was a wee lad boy, when my father earned his living for the Earl that lived here."

Arthur nodded again, breathing in. You could almost feel your dead heart beating. "And have in all your years seen a girl with (H/C) living here?"

Allistor shook his head. You groaned. "No no! You dummy, I _never_ lived here."

He scrunched up his eyebrows, completely forgetting that Allistor was here in front of him. "Then why do you want me to talk to him?" He yelled, losing his temper.

"'Because he's the guy that found me. The guy that found me lying dead on this field!"

* * *

><p><strong>Ah~ Progress!<strong>

**Lol, I ignore my inbox for a night and then you guys submerge my inbox with mail. No, not drowning, SUBMEREGED. * Hugs computer screen* you guys are awesome.**

**Lol. Mr Puffin.**

**~Verdigurl**

**(1)- Wherever you are in the world, I have no idea what your year levels are at school, but in NZ we call them Year 1, Year 2 etc. Just substitute whatever yours is.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Story: The Penumbra Effect**

**Chapter: 4**

**Rating: T for Potty Mouth**

**Warnings: Humans names used. Reader Insert.**

**Authoresses Note: * Puts hands up in the air* Okay, first off, I have something to say to **_**Jimmy Collins. **_** I want to say thank you for giving me that advice, but to be honest, I actually did say that 'Kiku' had silky hair. I don't mean to sound disrespectful or anything :D But anyways, it is nice to have criticism, that way I can improve my stories so yeah. Thanks.**

**And it's official. I'm spending my entire birthday on a friggen plane flight. Yay! (Note the sarcasm) My Grandfather and I are going to England to spend Christmas with my Mother. And I can hear you now. "What? She lives in NZ and her Mum lives in England?" Trust me, it's a long story. But I'm getting off track. (Gibb smacks self)**

**Merci Beaucoup to **_**'Velius Pseudonym, SRSK,**_ _**Crepe and Macron' **_**for**_**,**_** adding my story to their alerts!**_** 'Sachikothepeacock,**_ _**Crepe and Macaron, XxxFirerosexxX' **_**for faving! **_**'Sachikothepeacock, Crepe and Macron 'for adding me as a fave author. (You get a virtual hug :3) **_**And finally, thanks to '**_**Illusion Fox, Punkwolf32, SRSK , Jimmy Collins and Crepe and macaron'**_** for leaving reviews. I actually have never gotten reviews **_**this FAST!**_

**~Verdigurl**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 4 – Don't<strong>

On the outskirts of the property that was now owned by Arthur's parents lied a small cottage with creamy white walls and a terracotta roof. It was nearly sunset when Allistor asked Arthur into his home. He had the fire going, so the smoke that rose out of the chimney mixed in with the pink and yellow of the sky. Allistor stubbed out his cigarette and joined Arthur at the kitchen table, with a pot of boiled tea.

He coughed hard. "Take a hint from me kid, don't smoke. Fucks up your body."

Arthur's lips curled into a frown and he nodded. He wasn't used to hearing such profanities anywhere apart from school. And anyways, who would need to swear when you can get your point across by using socially correct words? You took a seat near him on the bench that was connected to the windowsill. It was just heading into winter, so the frost that came with it greeted you on the outline of the window. You tuned into Allistors and Arthurs conversation, ignoring it earlier.

"So kid, I heard you telling your parents that you came here to learn about the Biology of plants. But really I don't believe a word of it." He said, placing an elbow on the table. "What are you really here for?"

Arthur played with his fingers. "Well, today was my first day of school here…...and I heard rumours. About a girl found dead in the meadow."

Allistor nodded, placing down is cuppa. "I figured as much. What d'ya want to know?"

He thought and then shrugged. You poked him. "Ask him where he found me. Exactly."

"Where did you find her, exactly?"

"Why do you want to know that? Thought you just said that she was found in the meadow."

"Yes, I did, but I also heard that you were the man that found her, am I right?"

"T'was me."He said, leaning back in the chair." And yeah, she was in the meadow, lying on her back. 'Course, I didn't see her at first, since the grass was sort of tall. Almost ran her over with the ride on lawnmower."

"What happened?"

He shrugged." Well, for starters, she was _dead. _ Yeah, that might be a major fact. It looked like she had been in the wars; her hands were bloodied and bruised. She was also wet, from the night before showers. So she could've been there for a long time before I found her. She gave me and the master a right fright. He was really distraught about the publicity."

You shook your head, feeling the heaviness of your eyelids. It didn't make any sense. "Anything else?"

Allistor abruptly stood up and washed his cup. He then turned back to Arthur, resting his back on the kitchen countertop. "Look here Arthur. Don't go sticking your nose in the past. Some things are best left _alone."_

You snorted, pissed. "Come on dude. Give me a break."

"And why is that? "Arthur asked. You were about to open your mouth when you realised that he was talking to Allistor, not you. The tingle in your chest grew. Could you imagine, being ignored when talking. Just talking to yourself, _all the time?_

"Because. "Allistor said, getting off the countertop and walking to the door. "There are many things surrounding her death. It was over in a matter of weeks, like it was swept under the rug, to say. People began to talk. To hear things. Be careful, Young Master. Your fathers probably waiting up for you."

It sickened you for some reason. You felt the walls creeping forward. In one swift movement, you ran out of the cottage and ran through the meadow, to the house. Behind you, Arthur tried to keep up, but infinitely failing. You phased through the kitchen door and through Tina, who was tossing a salad. Without meaning to, you pushed her away, causing her to slip over on the tiles. The salad flew in slow motion, tomatoes spinning slowly in the air. She landed on her butt, the glass bowl shattering on the ground.

Arthur only managed to catch a glimpse of you as you ran up the staircase, heading to the darkest part of the house, the attic. Then he noticed this mother on the floor, bleeding. He grabbed the nearest towel and applied pressure on her hands, yelling at Peter to get the first aid kit. "Are you okay Mother? I'm sorry."

She smiled, kissing him on the head. "Why are you apologising my baby? You didn't do anything; I was just a little clumsy."

He flinched and nodded, as Peter returned. He let Peter take over as he was the one that knew first aid, since he was a scout. Arthur sprinted up the stairs, three steps at a time. He took his time, searching each room. (He purposely missed Alfred's. He knew you wouldn't be there.)

You sat in darkness, in the furthest corner in the attic. Your knees were tucked up to your chest, arms cuddling them. You closed your eyes and reviewed what had just taken place right in front of you. That man….That man you didn't recognise. What he said, you didn't remember. Of course, you wouldn't remember your dead self in the meadow, but you didn't remember how the hell you got there. In fact, you couldn't remember anything from that day. It made the tingles rise again in your chest.

Failure. Lost. Alone. That's what you felt, the time you spent here. You didn't bother to stand, when you heard the doorknob rattle. It was probably Arthur. Oh well, he'll live.

* * *

><p>You spent most of the week up there, while life in the world continued to revolve round in a circle. In that time, Arthur went to school and continued to make friends, not that you cared. And then, he met <em>her.<em> You didn't know her name. You didn't bother. All you knew at the moment was that he met her, by literally knocking her to the ground in the hallway. She had sandy blonde, longish hair and purple eyes with glasses. In ways, she was like you. A ghost. The difference was she was living. You were the real deal.

That was the first time since you died, that you felt jealousy.

* * *

><p><strong>*Snores* So sweepy….yay…done….review si vous plait. -_-<strong>

**And a band you should totally check out is clandestine. Even if you don't like metal music, you should totally check out her HAIR! Honestly, it is mint.**

**~Verdigurl.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Story: The Penumbra Effect**

**Chapter: 5**

**Rating: T for Potty Mouth**

**Warnings: Humans names used. Reader Insert.**

**Authoresses Note: I just realised that when I first heard France's Marukaite Chikyuu that I seriously thought he had said chainsaw until I looked up the lyrics. That would be cool though. Just imagine; Francey pants with a chainsaw, chasing Iggy down Main Street. You can't? Maybe it's just me then…**

**Thanks to everybody who did stuff. Your names escape my mind at the moment.**

**~Verdigurl**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 5- Games<strong>

You were sitting in the bathroom while you waited for them to arrive back home from school. You sat on the toilet lid with your legs tucked up to your chest, looking out the dirty window. It had been a while since you were in here. For one thing, you were dead, so you really didn't need to go to the bathroom and Two; you found it creepy for a ghost to be in one. The movie scene played in your head. The girl, brushing her teeth in front of the mirror and she sees something come up behind her in the reflection of the mirror. Creepy much?

The bathroom for some reason was on the second floor. You shook your head, thinking what a dickhead the architect or builders must have been. The bathroom walls were tinged a faded blue, with small pirate ships drawn at the bottom. It must be fun, to be on the sea. It was a pity that you couldn't just pack up and leave this place. The only way you could was to latch onto someone, like Arthur, and stay with him. You couldn't do it by yourself, cause every time you were just about to reach the black steel gates at the end of the driveway, a weird kind of fog would set in quickly and it would get heavier the closer you went.

The rain splattered against the window. _What happened to the sun? It was so nice yesterday…._ You heard the familiar sound of the tires on gravel coming closer! Yes they were home! You stood up quickly and walked to the door, catching a glimpse of your face in the mirror.

_Shit, is that me?_ You asked yourself, your hand unconsciously reaching for your cheek. Your skin had paled to a whit-ish grey colour, blending into black around the parts of your eyes and cheekbones. The freckles on your face had turned black, suiting your complexion. Your (h/c) was the same style in had been when you were living, short and trimmed to shape your face. But what upset you the most was your eyes. _What eyes_, you wondered. Your eyes that once were (e/c) had now turned a dark black, with a white, shiny reflection in the corner or your eye.

_What happened…?_ You wondered, walking out of the bathroom. You pondered on the thought as you reached the top of the staircase, waiting for Arthur and Alfred to arrive home. Peter had stayed home today, as he had stupidly broken his arm a couple of days ago, climbing the apple tree in the back yard. His cast was blue and had been signed by several classmates that had come to see him.

You saw Arthur holding the door open for Alfred, but he wasn't the last person coming in. Yao, Kiku and Ludwig came in with bags in hand. Along with a boy named Ravis, a kid from Peter's class. He split from the group and went up to Peter's room. They were carrying sleeping bags and pillows and a whole lot of other stuff. You sighed and shook your head. _Are guys this age even meant to have sleepovers? Except from the guys from the big bang theory, then it's ok….._

You jumped down the stairs as Arthur closed the door, immersed in the conversation he was having with the other boys. "So are you going to go?"

"Yeah, but if I do I'll have to find someone to go with." He said, shaking the rain off his hair. He dropped his schoolbag in the hallway and ran up to his room, followed by everybody else.

"Vell, I'm going to ask Feliciana to the dance." Ludwig said, with his book in his hand." She'll defiantly say yes."

Yao grinned," Shi! She follows you around like a lost puppy!"

"Then gets dragged away by her temper prone sister." Kiku said, nodding. He took off his tie and folded it, placing it in his backpack.

"I bet Antonio will ask her. The Guy seems invisible of her insults." Arthur pulled out two mattresses and placed them on the floor. Alfred laughed and pulled out two DVD cases. "Look guys! Look what I brought!"

Arthur sighed. "You lied at the store when you said you were eighteen, didn't you?"

Alfred laughed, hid hands placed on his hips. "I sure did!"

Quickly, Arthur and Yao silenced Alfred by covering his mouth and tackling him to the ground. You snorted a laugh as you watched the trio roll around on the ground, Alfred still laughing his ass off. He smiled at Arthur. "Come on Iggy, it's not like you haven't seen them before. From all of Dad's maga-"

Arthur thwacked a pillow at his brothers head, a light blush flushed on his face. "Shut up you twit! Do you want Mother to hear us?"

Yao smiled, pulling something out of his backpack. Alfred locked the door. "We have something better."

Your breath froze. The tingle ran down your back, as if an icy cold draft entered the room. Chilling was the word that came to your mind. You knew what it was, even before Yao pulled it out. The Ouija board was a light, thin, wooden type of board, with burnt in letters. The words, '_Yes, No, Hello and goodbye.' _Lay in the corners of the board. You sighed. _ Of course Alfred would do something like this…._

You sat down beside Kiku as they sat in a circle around the board. Reluctantly, Arthur joined. "You saw what that ghost did in the piano room!" Alfred whispered, looking around. At a moment, he looked directly at you, but he didn't notice. "Maybe it's trying to tell us something!"

Arthur rolled his eyes as Yao pulled out a cup, placing it upside down on the board. They all placed their first fingers on the top of the glass. You shrugged and decided to go along with what they were up to. No point in not doing so.

Yao cleared his throat. "I, Yao Wang, call out to the spirits of the dead. Me and my friends want to contact the ghost that was in the piano room a couple of weeks ago. Come forth! Tell me, what is your name?"

You placed your hand on the cup and dragged it across the words of your name. "(Y/N)" You said plainly. You then realised this was the first time that you had said your name out loud to Arthur, the person who was your telephone to the world.

"(Y/N)" Alfred said, his voice shaking. You remembered how Arthur had once said that Alfred had a fear of the supernatural. "That's a girl's name!"

You heard Ludwig swear under his breath. You could only guess what was going through his mind. "It's _her."_

"What is your last name?" Kiku asked, looking at Arthur.

"I don't know." You spelt out, knowing the answer yourself. "I don't remember."

The room remained silent, before Alfred spoke. "So, you're a musician….you must be pre-"

Arthur smacked him in the back of the head. "Shut up you idiot! This is a serious thing!"

"He's right." Yao said, nodding. "We don't want to anger the spirit."

"What do you remember of your death?" Ludwig asked, after a pause.

"Like I said, I don't remember. Okay, I don't remember a lot. All I can see is headlight and rain. Happy?" You were becoming agitated. You didn't like things that you couldn't control. Everybody shared a glance with each other, unknowing of what to say next. You sighed and lied on your back as they continued to ask more questions. You didn't answer them.

"Maybe she left." Alfred said disappointingly. He frowned, staring at the ground.

"Or maybe she just got bored of us."

"Well, whatever happened to her is a mystery."

Alfred snorted. "Geeze. _Women._"

* * *

><p>"<em>No!" You said, walking away. He grabbed your hand, his eyes pleading. You hadn't believed him when he asked you; after all, he had tried to get with every woman in the school. He made you turn around and look him in the face. "Please (YN)? Please go to the dance with me?"_

"_You know I don't dance. You know I _can't."

"_Please?"_

"_Fine!" You yelled, giving in."I'll go! But only one dance okay? No more than that."_

_He nodded smiling. It was a first smile, where he looked really looked genuine. You sighed; slapping yourself mentally .It was the stupid things that he made you do that get you in trouble._

_Like falling in love._

* * *

><p><strong>Today is defiantly a lazy day….As usual, please review :3<strong>

**That includes you, the invisible reader * Points to you* Yeah, you! Don't think I don't know where you live, because I do! So review!**

**~Verdigurl**


	6. Chapter 6

**Story: The Penumbra Effect**

**Chapter: 6**

**Rating: T for Potty Mouth**

**Warnings: Humans names used. Reader Insert.**

**Authoresses Note: **_**I wanna be the very best! Like no-one ever was! **_

_**To catch them is my real test; to train them is my cause!**_

_**I w- * Shot***_

**North Island: Sup Dudes and Dudettes! I'm North Island of New Zealand and this is my Bro, South! * Waves* He doesn't talk much. And so, since Verdigurl is currently lying on the floor, we'll talk for her, well, I will. She had to re-gather her thoughts and keep this story going! So yeah…..Pie.**

**Any who Ta~ to:**

"_**Illusion fox, laffingincircles, Becca-chan, SRSK, Aidyx16'**_** For reviewing, Vg's glad you still like it so much! **_**'Mon Chardonneret, Anime Ayumu'**_** For Faving, **_**'MooMooTheUnicorn,**_ _**otaco' **_**for the story alerts and **_**Aidyx16 **_**For the **_**very**_** interesting convo I had. :D It was fun**

**~Verdigurl**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 6- Progress<strong>

You poked the computer screen as it whizzed past an article that caught your eye. "No, there, there! Go back dummy!"

"If I'm such a dummy, why don't you do it yourself?" Arthur spat, earning the looks of random people scattered around the place. We were at the library, currently searching up old newspaper articles or blogs or anything really that might give you information.

"I _can't! _ You know I can't!" You spat back, slapping your hand on the desk. Your (H/C) flicked as you yelled and expectantly not drawing any attention. It sucked. You felt like throwing a tantrum, like a three year old.

"Exactly! So you should be _nice to me._"

You knelt beside him, placing your arms, crossed on the table. You were just tall enough that your nose poked above the table. "I'm sorry, oh great, oh blonde master! I _cannot_ start to comprehend the extent of your greatness! I-"

"Okay, you can stop now."

"-On't know how I got on witho-"

"Seriously, cut it out! People are starting to stare at me."

"They are staring in awe at you Arthur, founder of those thugs of eyebrows!"

"(Y/N)!"He said that out loud, making the librarian walk over to him, shushing. She spat as she did that. That was really, yeah, eww. Arthur apologised profusely as you took a yonder around the library. It had defiantly changed since the last time you had visited. They were in the middle of making renovations and now, they were completed. It now had ultra-fast internet, which you envied. In your day, the most you had was dial up.

"Yes, yes I promise it won't happen again!" He said with a fake smile as she made her way back to the desk, keeping an eye on him. He shot me an _F you_ look and sat back down. "Now, which one were you looking at?"

You pointed to the screen again. "That one, April 23rd."

He double clicked on the link, making a box appear, with an article that looked like it had been photocopied and scanned onto the computer. The article had been front cover material, with a black and white picture of the front of the house. Mostly there were the hedges that were tall and long that circled the property, but you could see a glimpse of the meadow, shielded by a white tarpaulin.

**BODY FOUND AT LOCAL ESTATE**

**The town of Huntley was rocked into a dark reality when they learnt the horror of what would shape out into a morning that will haunt the lives of residents, for what will look like a long time.**

**At 9:37am on April 23****rd**** the state county police received a phone call from the house of the local millionaire and Earl, Maison Yeard. When the police arrived at the house, they were greeted with a gruesome scene that was found by the groundskeeper who was mowing the lawn. The body of a young Caucasian woman was found lying on her back out in the front lawn. For the meantime the Head police constable, Mr D. Debary, refuses to let any information free into the public at the moment, but he says certain details will be released at a conference to be announced at a later date.**

**The Earl did not wish to have an interview with the Daily news, but did offer this statement. "Whatever has happened at my home was none of my doing. I have no idea how that girl got there, but I so dearly hope that the police will find out what happened to her. The poor thing…"**

**Read more on page: 3**

You slowly breathed in as you took in this information. This means that, Allistor wasn't lying. You really were nearly ran over by the lawnmower. Arthur let out a strangled breath and looked at you. "Are you okay (Y/N)? Does this mean anything to you?"

"Now that you mention it…I think I know that guy, the police constable guy. Yeah. I remember talking to him."

"How come?"

You shrugged. "Dunno, but I'm sure it was a plausible reason…"

"H-hey A-Arthur!"

You turned to see a girl waving at Arthur. Funny, where the fudge did she pop out of? You didn't notice her come up behind you. Arthur muttered something under his breath and quickly tried to click out of the article. Eventually he gave up and pressed the off button on the monitor. She saw it, but gave no motion of doing so. "Hey Maddy! I didn't know you would be here today!"

She blushed, looking awkward. "Well, I wasn't p-planning t-to but I saw you and t-thought I would say hello."

"Oh, thank you…"

"Yeah…"

The awkwardness of the moment was almost unbearable. You knew that he liked her and she liked him and all. It stung you a bit. You cursed whoever had killed you, preventing such a brilliant catch of a guy.

"Just ask her already!" You yelled, sticking your hands in the air. You pointed to her, reading the _WTF_ emotion on his face. "You like her, yes! Ask her to the dance! DO IT! YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO!"

He cringed as you laughed, happily. You could see how nervous he was; he literally radiated it like a gas heater. "Err Maddy, I was wondering if-"

"Yes? "She asked, her eyes perking up.

"Do you want to go to the dance with me?"

She smiled, grasping the stuffed polar bear in her hands. "I'd love to!"

He broke into a smile, giggling to himself. "Thank you. I'll pick you up at, shall we say six thirty?"

She nodded and ran out. You slapped him on his back. "Way to go tiger! Your first date! I'm so proud."

He blushed and turned the screen back on, pressing the print button. You nodded and started to head out the door. "To the bat mobile robin! We have a man to visit!"

* * *

><p>Mr Debary was at the ripe age of sixty five and had retired from the police force, when Arthur had asked him. At first, he seemed reluctant to let Arthur in the house, but he charmed his way in, saying that he wanted to talk about past dilemmas that the police force had faced, for school.<p>

Arthur thanked him for the tea and scones, sitting in a flowery armchair. Mr Debary sat down and nibbled the corners off a chocolate Tim-Tam. Arthur placed down his tea. "The place where I had just moved was a murder site when you were the head constable at the time."

"Ah, you're talking about the Monacoui case, aye?" Monacoui was the name of the street where the mansion was.

Arthur nodded. "Yeah, I heard some stuff about it. My curiosity piqued."

"I knew the girl when she was alive."

"Really? " He asked, following on what might be a lead. "Were you acquaintances?"

"Of a sort. I only talked to her when she came into the station to pick up her mother." Your eyebrow shot up.

"This was a frequent pastime?"

He nodded. "Her mother was lady of the night. Made house calls and everything." Arthur seemed engulfed in the information. It just went over your head. "But (Y/N) was a good kid, always kept her head held high. Looked after her little sister."

_Well, that made a bit of sense,_ you thought, eager to hear more. "Ask him about the rumours."

"I also heard some rumours. Did you hear any while working on the case?"

"You always do in murder cases. There was one about (Y/N) getting into the same business as her mother, but I didn't believe it for a second. There was some about blackmailing from one party and then another party. It got real nasty. I think it was the rumours that made the case into a cold one. People didn't want to believe that there might be a killer in their town."

You nodded. If there was a killer that acted exactly like them, but did something so heinous as to kill one of their own, was unconceivable. You scratched you head. "It's fuzzy when I try thinking of blackmailing. Give me a day or two."

Arthur nodded. Mr Debary leaned forward in his armchair, looking Arthur directly in the eyes. "Whatever you're getting yourself into boy, you be bloody careful. Find any information, send it anonymously. You don't want to be dragged into the mud. I'm already knee deep in shit that never made any sense to the police. Maybe you can figure something out."

_Strong words,_ you thought, as Arthur thanked him for his time.

* * *

><p><strong>*Wakes up* I think I'm in love with the Japanese voice actor for France….. Can't believe he does Mr Puffin…<strong>


	7. Chapter 7

**Story: The Penumbra Effect**

**Chapter: 7**

**Rating: T for Potty Mouth**

**Warnings: Humans names used. Reader Insert.**

**Authoresses Note: **_**'It's raining its pouring, England is snoring**_

_**Went to bed and got struck with a star in his head,**_

_**And couldn't get up in the morning!'**_

**It's true, it's raining right now. I'm under a blanket and watching Serial killer Sunday. It's exciting to watch, but I get so annoyed with myself because when I turn the T.V off I get all jumpy and scared of the slightest sound. Does that ever happen to you?**

**Getting off topic, anyway…**

**Merci Beaucoup to "**_**Antonia Ivanevna Braginski,**_ _**Miyui-Chan"**_** For Faving and adding to story alert. **_**'shadowraven45662,**_ _**Illusion fox,**_ _**PunkWolf32,**_ _**Crepe and Macaron,**_ _**Aidylx16.' **_**For reviewing, I always love people's expressions!**

**Iggy's "Suit": .com/photos/46697689N08/4281006323/sizes/m/in/photostream/**

**Maddy's Dress: ** **.com/il_570xN.**

**~Verdigurl**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 7<strong>

From where you were lying, it looked like the tree branches were almost reaching up to touch the sky, the black of the tree trunks sticking out in the cloudy, grey sky. Forever, it seemed like it would rain and sometimes, it would. You tucked your hands behind your head and stretched out. It had been a slow couple of days since you and Arthur had went to Mr Debary for information. And finally, you found some! Not that it was the most pleasant news, it was news none the less and that's what counts! You think.

You stood up and walked back to the house, the mist in the corner of your eyes as you went along. It had slowly turned into winter, making the grass in the meadow grow slower, coated in water droplets. They tickled your feet as you climbed over the stone fence onto the cobblestone courtyard. It was about six o'clock at night when Berwald had arrived home, just in time to see his son off before Arthur goes to the ball.

You smiled as Berwald stepped out of the car, with briefcase in hand and a snazzy suit. It looked like he had just wrapped up a big deal with one of their main allies. He had a rare smile as he entered the house, hugging Tina from behind when she was at the stove. You followed and went up to Arthurs room as he began to kiss her.

Let's just say, that when you first entered his room, your jaw dropped. You thought that he was going in a suit like you and Gill were supposed to! Not, not _this!_ It almost made you laugh.

"Hey, hey, Arrrrrr you sure you want to go as a pirate? "You asked, proud of your own joke.

He smiled at you in the reflection of the full length mirror, adjusting his costume a bit. He was clad in a really dark velvet coat with red cuffs and gold shoulder pads that had streams of material hanging off the edge. Underneath he wore a white, ruffled shirt and faded greyish green pants with black boots. But his hat was your highlight. His hat was the same colour of his coat with gold lining around the edges with a massive, white feather hanging out of it. He looked _hot._

Oh, and he also had a sword, with is customary. You know, to stab through a crowd when you want to get to the drink bar.

Arthur turned around, showing off. "Well, what do you think (Y/N)? Do I pass your sense of fashion?"

You side smiled and walked up to him, checking. Your hands were shaking when you adjusted his collar, but he didn't notice. You were this close to him….."Dashing."

He nodded, happy with your verdict. He grabbed his wallet and stuffed it into the secret pocket on the inside of the coat. He was about to leave when he noticed you sitting on the windowsill, staring out into the night. Something must have pushed him to ask you, but you thanked whatever had later that night. "(Y/N), do you want to join me and Maddy? I mean, you're already a ghost, so you'll be in character."

You had his back to him and you sighed, for performance. But on the inside of your brain you were overloaded with happiness, the feeling in your chest returning. "Okay," you whispered, following him down the stairs.

When you jumped off the last step, you both were greeted with a blinding light of the camera. You quickly hid behind Arthur, remembering how you hated your picture being taken. Behind you, Alfred raced down the stair, right through you and almost crashed into Arthur. He was in a black ninja costume that he ordered from EBay. He had flying Kunai and a black balaclava that covered his face, except for his eyes, that's where his glasses were sticking out.

"Hey Arthur, do you know why it's better to be a Pirate than a Ninja?" You asked, smiling. He casually shrugged, avoiding drawing attention to himself. You giggled, spluttering out the answer. "Because Pirates get all the _booty!_"

He snorted, doubling over. You smiled. "Although, I'd prefer to be an assassin! Even though Altäir can't swim…"

Tina put a hand on her sons shoulder. "You okay Love? Did you take your meds?"

"Yup." He nodded.

She smiled, hugged them and kissed both of them on the cheeks. Peter waved goodbye to them, still in his arm cast. Berwald gave a warning to them if the crashed, dented or lost his car he would *** Censored Censored Censored***

Needless to say, they took his words to heart, even scaring you a bit.

* * *

><p><em>This is what my dance should've looked like,<em> you thought as you stepped into the main hall, which was decorated with streamers and balloons stuck up on the ceiling. Candles were scattered on the food table, which held a delicious looking feast. Suddenly, you wished that you could eat again, just to try those strawberries dipped in chocolate.

Alfred ran ahead of you, meeting up with Im Yong Soo (who was in a bed-sheet as a ghost) and Saie Mon (1) (who was dressed up as a very scary witch). Arthur took his time when walking into the hall, guiding Maddy along, who clung to his arm like a leech, you thought, grumbling.

Even though you were jealous of her, you had to admit that she pulled off her costume really well. You guessed her costume could be classified as a decaying fairy, almost. She tied up her blonde hair into a messy bun, with some strands hanging lose, held together with a red hair-tie. You noticed her glasses were missing. _She must be wearing contacts._ Her dress that a sleeveless, u neck, black top which connected to a purple-ish red chiffon. A row of red rosés travelled down from her left shoulder and ended where the black meet chiffon. Her wings were grey and lined with red material, with tiny rosés at the end. They grey looked as if it was decaying, dying almost. And with red pumps to match, she looked like a fine femme.

You sighed, staring at the ground. Of course, you suited the theme. A murdered girl in her bloodied school uniform. _How fitting…_

The DJ turned the song over flawlessly to the Jersey Boy's Sherry. You chuckled and Arthur pulled Maddy close to him, walking out onto the dance floor. You swayed along to the music as it floated in the air. Alfred had grabbed that kid with the sheep that was chasing the other kid with the boomerang. Turns out that was a girl~. She was dressed as a jail escapee.

"_Sherry, Sherry baby_

_Sherry, Sherry baby_

_She - e - e-e-e-e-ry baby_

_She - e - rry, can you come out tonight_

_She - e - e-e-e-e-ry baby_

_She - e - rry, can you come out tonight_

_(Why don't you come out) to my twist party_

_(Come out) Where the bright moon shines_

_(Come out) We'll dance the night away_

_I'm gonna make-a you mi-yi-yi-yine_

_She - e - e-e-e-e-ry baby_

_She - e - rry, can you come out tonight_

_(Come, come, come out tonight)_

_(Come, come, come out tonight)_

_You-oo-ooh better ask your mama_

_Tell her everything is all right~" _

You closed your eyes and leaned on a wall, where you were approached by a flirtatious blonde man. Oh god, he was one person you wished you could forget. He flashed you a smile. "Bonjour mon chére~ May I say that you look absolutely stunning tonight?"

You folded your arms, blushing. "Thanks…." You mumbled, trying to avoid eye contact.

He stepped closer." I haven't seen you around before…..are you a new student? Or maybe a student _teacher~? _He purred, leaning in.

You snorted, deciding to mess with him." Sorry, I don't mingle with your kind."

He looked at his costume, the swashbuckling hero." Just because our costumes are different doesn't mean that we can't dance."

"I didn't mean our _costumes._"

"What _did_ you mean then?" He whispered into your ear, trying to take your hand. You phased through and he looked down. You grinned and ran for the door. He watched you move and gave chase." Wait Mon Belle au bois dormant! (2) You have to teach me that trick!"

Just as you were about to make it to the door, you saw Arthur and Maddy, dancing slowly. She was looking up at him and he looked into her eyes. You could feel what he wanted most. It fucken stung a lot. If you weren't being chased by a maniac at the moment, you'd go over there and push them both into the punch bowl. Instead, you decided to ruin the moment_. "JUST FUCKEN KISS HER ALREADY ARTHUR! WHAT ARE YOU? PSYCHOTIC?" _

He flinched and looked over to you and the smiled at your predicament. He leaned in and kissed her, making Maddy blush a deep red._ It didn't bother him! That little…..mother frucker._

You ran outside and disappeared into the night as the Frenchman ran into the parking lot, confused.

* * *

><p>" <em>I'll do it! I swear, I'll do it and then I'll make your life a fucken hell!" <em>

_He laughed once, sneering." Do that and I'll make sure that nobody will ever want to even know you. Your life will be nothing. I'll make you eat shit." _

" _You fucken stay away from my sister, ya hear? I don't care what you do with that god dam woman I call my mother but you stay away from (Y/S/N) or I'll call the police!" You yelled, walking away from him. You could feel his smug grin burning holes in the back of your head. You walked away furiously, unaware of what you just set in motion._

* * *

><p><strong>:D This is the most words I've written so far! This was so much fun to write! And It's starting to pick up :D I'm really happy, if you couldn't tell.<strong>

**(1) That's Taiwan, BTW. Wiki didn't say what her name was so I borrowed the exchange students name that use to sit next to me in Biology.**

**(2) My sleeping beauty~**


	8. Chapter 8

**Story: The Penumbra Effect**

**Chapter: 8**

**Rating: T for Potty Mouth**

**Warnings: Humans names used. Reader Insert.**

**Authoresses Note: Yum yum! :3 I had pork chops and apple sauce for dinner. Not that I cooked it, otherwise it would have turned into Iggy's cooking.**

**Thanks to: **_**'DreamsComeFromtheHeart'**_** for the story alert, **_**´Sesrin' for faving and to 'Aidylx16 and PunkWolf32'for reviewing.**_

**~Verdigurl**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 8- Confirmation<strong>

"Are you absolutely certain that was what you saw (Y/N)? Not anything else?"

You shook your head. "Yes! I was screaming and yelling and I was so very, very _angry._ I've never felt that kind of anger before!"

"Did you recognise him?" Arthur asked, as he fiddled with a pen at his study desk. It was the day after the ball and you had almost freaked out when you had that memory. It was like having too much blood rushing to your head at the same time, you were really dizzy.

Again, you shook your head." It was like a scratchy card you get out of the local lotto store, his face was all scratched out. I recognised his voice, but I can't put a face to it or a name to it…"

"Could your murderer have been that guy you've been talking about? Gilbert?"

You just restrained your hand not to punch him in the face. Almost. "If I was a worse person or ghost than I already am, I'd kick your ass for even suggesting that! What are you thinking? Gill _wouldn't do that! _ He was my friend!"

"Was?"

"Yes! F-R-I-E-N-D! Friend!"

His eyebrow rose. "But you didn't recognise the guy in your memory, did you?"

"…No…"

"Then you can't say for sure that Gill _didn't_ kill you."

You bit your lip. "I _know_ him, Arthur. He would never."

"You think you know a person, until you see something that changes your perspective."

"Does that apply to Maddy too?" You asked, trying to rile him up. Darn. He kissed her. _Kissed her!_

He paused, thinking it over." Yes, I guess so."

That ended your conversation on that topic. There had been a rift between the two of you whenever her name came up. Eventually, he found another way to find humiliation out of you. "So, mind telling me why Mr Bonnefoy was running after you?"

You snorted, grinning. "He was probably looking for something to shag."

"So, you knew him when you were alive?"

"Yeah, he was good friends with Gilbert. I had no idea why, but they got on well. Maybe it was because they liked women a lot. They have been friends since primary school….."

Arthur picked up his schoolbag and headed out the door. "Let's go (Y/N)! He's our next lead!"

"I suggest you take a mace. Or better yet, a gun. Don't want to be caught by the baddies!"

He looked at you weirdly. "Baddies…?"

You shrugged. "You never know."

* * *

><p>Today was a Saturday, but even on weekends, teachers stayed at school to plan the whole week ahead. Arthur found Francis in where else but the French room! Smart one. Anyway, he was working on the year eleven preliminary test when he noticed Arthur hovering in the doorway and ushered him in. You held up an imaginary stick, just in case.<p>

"Come in come in, Arthur. Bein, bien~ Ca va?"

Arthur scratched the back of his head. You hoped to god Francis didn't notice you. Maybe he had too much to drink and mistaken you for someone else? Somehow, you doubted it. "Err, I'm doing good sir. I've come to ask you a couple of questions, if that's okay."

"Fine." He said, motioning to the empty chair in front of his desk. Arthur sat down and nodded to himself, prepping. You gave him a nod. "You can do it Arthur! Come on, man up!"

He smiled and Francis gave him his full attention. "What can I do for you?"

"Uh, I'm inquiring about a woman named (Y/N) who died a couple of years ago. Did you know her?"

His eyes thinned, but he didn't yell at Arthur or anything, he instead talked to him in a calm manor, one that you hadn't seen in him before. "Yes. She was a friend of a friend. Quiet, smart girl. Kept out of everybody's way."

"Would this friend happen to be Gilbert Beilschmidt?"

Francis clasped his hands into a fist, resting his chin. He paused. "If you're trying to say something, spit it out boy, or get out."

"Is there any chance that he could've been involved in the murder?"

A grim silence mounted over the three of us. You could hear the bluebird outside, thinking that it should've left weeks ago. What was it doing here?

"No."

"What makes you think that?"

"Because he was with me all night. And the next morning, when he found out that she was missing."

Arthur stopped, before getting himself back on the track." What do you mean that he was there all night?"

"He was angry with (Y/N) because he thought she had done a runner when he went to pick her up from her house. So, he went to the ball alone and then crashed at my house. The next morning, she turned up dead and he got questioned by the police. I've never seen him upset about _anything_ until then."

You felt a weight lift off your chest with relief. Arthur still wasn't happy. He decided to press further." Did you know how they met?"

You smiled, reminiscing. He had gotten an F in maths and needed help, so he had asked you. You don't know what had made him attracted to you, but you cherished the relationship you had. Or, what was the beginning of one. Francis smiled. "She was playing in the water on the beach when her white bikini came off. Gilbert, being the gentlemen he is came to her rescue~"

You groaned. "You are such a bull-shitter Francis. _Really."_

"You're lying." Arthur stated, almost believing Francis's story.

"Aha, you caught me boy. He needed study help and went to her, since she was a brainy one. One conversation and he was enchanted by her~ L'amour….. Such a fascinating subject."

"Just one more question sir, are you absolutely sure it wasn't him?"

"It wasn't. He's not the type of person who'd murder somebody else over a grudge. My bet is that she got dragged down into the mess her mother made."

"I see….."Arthur muttered, staring at you for confirmation. You knew Gilbert hadn't killed you. But now, you'd hit a wall. "Then who did?"

* * *

><p><em>You placed your hands over (YS/N)'s ears as you heard the front door slam in the middle of the night. You had both camped out in your big bed, not daring to get up while your 'mother' was with clients. (Y/S/N) didn't know. You wanted it to stay that way._

"_Is Mummy okay (Y/N)?"She asked, smothering her face into your chest. You petted her hair, tucking it back behind her ear. Her face was like that man's, scratched out. You yearned to see it." She's fine petal, she's just meeting up with some of her friends."_

"_Do they treat her nicely?"_

_You flinched, hearing bangs against the wall. You kissed her forehead and lifted up the covers, cradling her close. "Don't know babe. Don't worry. I'll protect you."_

* * *

><p><strong>~Meh. It's only 9: 29 pm and I'm already tired…snore….Please review ;D<strong>


	9. Chapter 9

**Story: The Penumbra Effect**

**Chapter: 9**

**Rating: T for Potty Mouth**

**Warnings: Humans names used. Reader Insert.**

**Authoresses Note: **

**D: My mum's friend over in the UK was making fun of our accent. Instead of saying Shepherd, or rather, hearing it like that, apparently we say it as sipsid. Oh well, she just can't understand the awesomeness of kiwis. *shrugs***

**Oh yeah, almost forgot…Happy Friday the 13****th****!**

**Thanks to: **_**'MellisaConrad1998, DeathAngel212,' **_**for Faving, story alerts from '**_**.sisters**_**, candycorn54**_**,**_ _**DeathAngel212', **_**and to **_**'Aidylx16,**_ _**PunkWolf32,**_ _**Crepe and Macaron,**_ _**Illusion fox'**_** for reviewing! All good guesses, but I'm not giving anything away! **_**Yet.**_

**~Verdigurl**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 9- Mummy's little girl<strong>

"So what are we going to do now?" You asked out loud as Arthur placed a green jello on this lunch tray. It had just been fourth spell was economics with Ms Braginskaya, and man, she was _bigger_ than you had last seen of her. You shook your head, repelling those thoughts in your head. Ever though you were a girl, Braginskaya defiantly made you a believer.

Arthur shrugged and cringed as the cook plopped this creamy pasta dish onto his plate. You almost chucked right then. This food was worse than you were alive. At least you could _identify_ what the fudge they were.

He paid for the "food" (You didn't know if you could call it that) and walked over to Kiku and Ludwig, who had a brunette girl with him. She had her eyes closed, but seemed pretty aware of the things going around her. She waved and shook Arthurs hand as he sat down at the table. "Hiya~ you must be Arthur! I'm Feliciana, pleasure to meet you! Ve~"

He smiled and nodded, before looking around. "Hey Ludwig, where's Maddy?"

He shrugged. "Vho knows. Probably at the library."

"So, how's your family?" Arthur asked, trying to squeeze out information. You sighed and sat down beside him, poking the jello with your finger, making it jiggle. Arthur noticed and pushed it away as Kiku picked up a piece of salmon sushi from his homemade bento.

Ludwig thought for a moment. "They're okay. My brother vill be graduating from university soon with a bachelor in history."

You smiled and Arthur nodded. "Sound co- what in god's name happened to you Yao?"

Yao had just entered the cafeteria with charred clothes and hair with soot on his face. He sat down and sighed heavily, resting his head on the table, causing his hair to fall everywhere. "Ugh, science with Alfred and Im."

Feliciana pinched her nose. "Eww! You smell like eggs!"

"They're in detention right now till four so Alfred told me to tell you Arthur that he'll be late home."

You smelt it too, the eggs, memories flowing back into your head of Saturday mornings when you used to cook eggs for your family….Mother always liked her eggs sunny side up….. You sighed and nodded to yourself, knowing what you needed to do.

"Arthur, I know what we need to do now…." You whispered, your hair leaning forward as you slumped, making the shadows darker.

"I know." He whispered, not looking at you. You took a deep breath and sung out a tune~

~_I'm coming home, I'm coming home,_

_Tell the world I'm coming home._

_Let the rain wash away all the pain from yesterday._

_And all my kingdom awaits,_

_And they've forgiven my mistakes._

_I'm coming home, I'm coming home,_

_Tell the world I'm coming…~_

* * *

><p>Mother was at home, when Arthur knocked on the door. For some reason, you felt like protecting him from her, even though she was your mother. Even though she had a rule about minors that you both never talked about in front of your sister. You would give her dirty looks whenever she brought her work up at the dinner table.<p>

She leaned on the inside of the door, looking Arthur up and down. "What'd'ya need sonny? My daughter ain't home at the moment."

He shook his head, blushing. "No, I don't want to talk to your daughter, I-"

"Then get out of here, I don't do minors."

"I'm not here for that!" He yelled, surprising your mother. You floated there, watching her brain work like clockwork. "I now live in the house where your _other daughter_ was found. I'm trying to figure out what happened to her. Please, just answer a few questions."

She eyed him again and then opened the door wide. "Come on in."

Arthur stared around the two bedroom flat. You noted that the dishes were cleaned and that nobody was tripping over stuff on the floor. In fact, _nothing _was on the floor. Things had changed. "How do ya take your coffee?" Mother yelled from the kitchen.

"Err, just one sugar and milk please! "He yelled back, watching you look around. He toned down his voice. "What do you think of the place?"

"It's cleaner…Weird…..This place is _never_ this clean…" Even the bathroom was clean, free of cleaners and toners and make up. They were all put away and organised. This was _too_ weird.

Mother came back into the lounge with two cups, placed his down on the side table. She sat down and cupped hers. She stared into space for a minute, then nodding. "Okay, shoot'em out."

"What was your relationship like with (Y/N)?"

"She was mature beyond her age. While other kids were out partying or drinking or taking drugs, she put her head into books, working like crazy. I'd always tell her that she overdid it. But she wasn't working for herself. She was doing it for her sister too."

"Don't I know that." You huffed, smiling to yourself.

"Always kept us both in line, the control freak. Always making me shut my trap around her sister. But I see why she did it now. I only wish now that I could've spent more time with her. Tell her I love her."

You breathed in shakily, but motioned to Arthur to carry on. You had never heard your Mother say things like that.

"Where were you on the night of the murder?"

"I was waiting for (Y/N) to get home with her sister. I was going to help her get ready for the ball. I was so happy that she was finally socialising and not missing out on something as important as that in a girl's life." She paused, smiling." When the clock went past nine pm, I started to get antsy. It kept ringing her cell phone, but she wouldn't answer. Then, the next morning, the police knocked on my door with my youngest. An-"Her voice cracked. "They told me that (Y/N) was dead and I-"

"We can stop, if you like."

"No!" She lowered her voice. "No, this is good for me, talking to someone about it. I, I blanked. They took me down to the morgue, to identify her. She was lying on one of those metal benches with a material covering her. She was naked. And she looked, _horrible._

There was blood in her hair and under her fingernails, it was, just, you know _horrible!_ I couldn't believe that she wasn't coming back. And her sister…..she didn't talk for two weeks. And when she did, it was for a cup of _water._ No, _I love you mummy_ or _where's (Y/N)_ like she usually would. It was then I saw what (Y/N) was protecting her from. A life like mine. Her innocence."

Your eyes were closed, silent. Arthur pressed on. "Did you come across any suspicious people in your line of work?"

She snorted. "Kid, I'm a hooker. Of course we come across suspicious people. Normal people, business people. Everybody has something to hide, a side that they don't want their loved ones to know."

"Do you think that one of your clients killed (Y/N)?" He asked in a voice that showed no emotion.

She shrugged. "You never know. Everybody started to talk, rumours arose. I'm sure you've heard some of them by now, if you really mean you want to solve her case."

"Can you give any names?"

She paused, placing down her cup, reaching for a pen. "Okay. Ready?"

"Ready."

* * *

><p>"So it couldn't have been this guy or that guy" You sighed, poking your finger at the screen. You two were back at the library, as it turned to ten past seven. You were getting miffed because you were getting close to the bottom of the list. Either they had a solid alibi, were in jail at the time or were dead before your murder. "Scratch that guy off too."<p>

"This is the last one (Y/N)."Arthur pointed to the last name on the list." D-E-C-L-A-N M-U-D-E-E-N-E." He hit enter in the search engine and then _Bing!_ A box came up with a police report of the man, with a mug shot. You tried to make sense of it; his picture was giving off this weird vibe.

"He's now thirty four and was convicted for assault and driving while intoxicated, but is now out of jail. He wasn't in there when you were murdered, so he may be it."

"He's definitely giving off a weird vibe. Do we have an address? "

"24 Fairlane Street. That's just a few blocks away." He brought up a map of the town and pointed to a random house on the east side. "It isn't too far from here, about a five minute walk."

You smiled. "Then what are we doing here? Let's go!"

* * *

><p>The house was dark when you got there. No light on or any vehicles in the carport. Nobody home. "No one's here!' You said, hiding behind the bush. You had no idea why, but you thought you would. Being Nancy Drew (1) sounded like fun.<p>

Arthur nodded, pulling his hood over. "That's okay though, gives us time to search the property."

You nodded back and jumped out of the bushes, sprinting across the street. "To the back yard!" You yelled, phasing through the gate. The back yard was untrimmed with a rusty washing line, creaking in the wind. It was a chilly night. Arthur made it over the fence and joined you. You peeked in the windows, but they were covered by curtains.

"Doors locked too." Arthur whispered, rattling the handle. "What now?"

You pointed to a basement window. "There! There ain't any curtains there!"

Arthur crouched down and peeked through the window. He coughed, rubbing his nose. "Holy Fuck….."

"What? What is it?" You asked, almost yelling. There wasn't enough room for you both to see, and you wanted a peak.

He turned back to you, moving out of the way. "It's Maddy."

Your heart stopped. You looked closer through the dirty window. Indeed, it was Maddy. She was bound to a chair, her head hanging forward. There was a pool of blood at the bottom of the chair. Oh shit.

"We have to get in there Arthur."

"Why the hell is she here?" He kept his eyes on her, as if she was going to move at any second. You doubted it, in the state she was in.

"Arthur!"

"Why wo-"

You Gibb smacked him. "Snap out of it Artie! We gotta get in there! You break the window, I'll meet you there!"

"You know we are committing a crime by breaking and entering?" He asked, thwacking his foot through the window. The glass shattered on the floor loudly on the concrete floor. Maddy didn't stir. Quietly, Arthur slipped in as you phased through the wall, the moonlight shining on the broken glass on the floor.

You had five minutes.

* * *

><p>"<em>(YN) ~"She whined while holding your hand. You two were walking in the rain, hand in hand. She started to whine again, complaining about the rain. "Eww! It's wet!"_

_You sighed, and took off your own school blazer and placed it on her head. "Quiet shrimp! You won't be wet now!"_

"_But you will be…."_

_You sighed again, running a hand through your (H/C). "Don't worry, we'll be home soon."_

* * *

><p><strong>~Oh my son of a gun, were getting really close! : D and I still have surprises!<strong>

**~Vg, P.S- **_**Now**_** this is the most I've written.**

**(1) If you **_**don't **_**know who Nancy Drew is, SHAME ON YOU! She is the best girl detective ever. Her games sometimes scare the shit out of me because you can DIE in them. I suggest playing one of them. They are bloody awesome. **

**Oh, and one more thing. I highly suggest this YouTube clip if you're looking for something for a good laugh. It's about this drunken guy in a police car singing bohemian Rhapsody. I like the part where he's like. "Will you let me go, no they won't let me gooooo!"**

**Youtube**** .com/watch?v=RaDKbKt-vQ**


	10. Chapter 10

**Story: The Penumbra Effect**

**Chapter: 10**

**Rating: T for Potty Mouth**

**Warnings: Humans names used. Reader Insert.**

**Authoresses Note: My interesting conversation with my Dad about cleaning my room:**

**Me: * Watching Hetalia***

**Dad: Maddi! Go clean your room!**

**Me: In a minute! *doesn't move***

**Dad: Clean your room!**

**Me: I will soon!**

**Dad: You clean your room right now or I swear, I'll snap that DVD in half!**

**Me: D: You wouldn't dare! I need to know how Grandpa Rome disappeared! Who America chose! How the hell did Italy become a Tomato Fairy! BELIEVE IT!**

**Dad:…..**

**Me:…**

**Dad: Did you just…?**

**Me…No, you never heard that…**

**I actually felt kind of sad that only one person reviewed, so I buggered off for a couple of hours before eventually forcing myself to write again D: But I shouldn't complain, I had more reviews in on this story in the space of a week than I did with other Fanfiction that I worked harder on!**

**Song: You found me, the Fray**

**September, Draughty**

**Paranoid Circus, Lyriel**

**Any who, **_**on with the story! Hi~Ho~ Silver Away!**_

**~Verdigurl**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 10<strong>

This basement was not a place you wanted to be right now. The walls were made out of concrete and were ice cold, making you shiver constantly. It had the strangest feel to it. It made you feel as if you were becoming claustrophobic, like the walls of the cottage at Allistors. You clenched and unclenched the bottom of your skirt as Arthur tried to untie the rope that was knotted tightly around Maddy. The chair that she was stuck in faced the stairs, probably on purpose by Declan; to scare the shit out of her. You could tell she was having trouble breathing. Each breath sounded like there was an air pocket in her throat.

You shivered again, your head snapping to the left. The smell…the smell was awful. The smell didn't bother Arthur at all, but you suspected that it was only limited to your senses. It buried itself high up in your nose, irritating it. Rusty iron, some hot spice and the felling of warm blood overwhelmed you, making you unconsciously cover your nose with your blouse sleeve. Then, you felt something. You pulled back your sleeve to see fresh blood spots on the collar. That was new.

Arthur cried out in frustration, furious with the rope. He hadn't carried a knife or anything with him, he didn't think he would need to. It was just a scouting mission, for Christ's sake! He hadn't expected to find Maddy tied to a chair in the middle of a dark basement! It just wasn't right.

You walked over to him, the shadows masking themselves around his jaw and in spaces where the moonlight couldn't reach. He frowned, shaking his head. "I don't like this (Y/N). What if she's Declan's daughter? What if she's lied to me all this time?"

You didn't reply. Instead, you looked around the basement, looking for something to cut the rope. Surely, there must be something down here. A man needs to keep his tools somewhere safe and dry. A good place would be the basement. Why couldn't you see anything then? You cleared your throat. "Arthur, check the door. Don't worry about Maddy, she's not going anywhere. And while you're at it, look for a light too, maybe I can find something sharp…"

He muttered and grumbled under his breath, in a tone that you found disgusting. Yes, you could tell he was deeply upset, but he didn't need to use such vulgar words. You heard his heavy footsteps on the stairs, getting higher. You fell to your knees and began searching, feeling the ground with your hands. Ground….Water? , no that was more blood….and…WTF? A PIECE OF BREAD!

You cringed and chucked it away as Arthur tried the door. "It's a no go (Y/N). The guys got this house locked up tighter than a prison."

"Look for a light switch then! I can't see anything!"

You crawled further ahead, until you smacked your head into a concrete wall. You groaned and put your hands on the wall, pushing yourself off the ground. You ran them over the bumpy surface until you felt something, something like wood. You felt higher and the texture of the wall changed. There were several textures, ranging from a soft, cold, laminated surface to something that felt like string. Wool maybe? "Arthur!"

"Found it!" He yelled, flicking the switch, which cracked back with a click.

Light poured into the room. Warm, sweet light. How you wished that what you found on that wall was of the same nature. It was a giant corkboard, with hundreds of pictures stuck on it. A thin, red piece of wall strung a cobweb over the scene.

"Find anything?" Arthur yelled, coming down the stairs.

They were pictures of Maddy, at different ages. Some of them were blurry; others crisp as an apple, recording her daily actions. You looked over all of them. You couldn't believe what you were seeing. There was a piece of lilac paper in the corner with a list of names, a couple with red lines through some. And at the top of the board, was a picture of _you_, with a big, red, cross scratched across your face.

Arthur gasped, taking the scene in. "He was stalking her….."

"I don't think they're related…"

A groan came from the corner of the room behind us."…..n-no…..p-please…."

In the blink of an eye, Arthur was already on the other side of the room, checking Maddy. He was flabagastered. She stared at him for a moment, unable to recognise him and then, her eyes opened as wide as they could, almost tearing. "Arthur! W-What are y-you doing here! You should-dn't be here! He'll be back so-"

"What the hell is going on Maddy?" Arthur asked, shaking her shoulders. Under the stairs, you spotted a toolbox wedged in the corner. You opened it to find a couple of metal nuts, a clump of hair (EW) and an old, rusted knife with dried blood on the blade and handle. You picked it up and stood quietly, heading to Arthur.

Then, you_ stopped._

_Shit._

You heard the kitchen door slam shut and lock. Arthur froze, hearing the _THUMP! THUMP! THUMP! _that rumbled above. If you were alive, you'd be screaming and shitting your pants. This was like every fucken horror movie. You _hated_ to be scared.

_THUMP!_

You heard the gears in the lock turn. There wasn't enough time to hide. Arthur braced himself in front of Maddy, ready for anything. You remained in the shadows, your dead heart beating heavily in your chest. The tension was unbearable.

"What do we have here?"

You almost shrieked when you heard the voice that had been haunting your un-dead memories. You couldn't see the man, because he was at the top of the stairs. But you could see his shadow, which towered from above over Arthur and Maddy. His face was rock hard, but you could see the panicking feeling there, even though he hid it well.

"I know you. You're the kid that was talking to doll face behind ya at the Library."

Arthur frowned, never losing his eye contact. This was one battle he couldn't loose. "I'm not going to let Maddy stay here with you."

You heard a "Humph". "Well boy, you don't really have a choice. I'm not planning to let her go. I've had my eye on her for a while, and now that I have her, she's staying here. _Where she belongs_."

"You are crazy! You can't keep her like this! She's a human being with feelings and emotions! She doesn't deserve to be on display like some, some _toy! "_

He laughed. No, it wasn't laughing. Something that sounded like that shouldn't be considered like 'laughing'. It was demented. Vile. Vulgar. Putrid. You thought of as many horrible words to describe him, but even then you couldn't describe him. His madness. Your hands were shaking uncontrollable, as if they had a mind of their own. You started to hyperventilate, your chest becoming tight. This feeling was familiar, the sense of malice clear in the man's mind.

You didn't want to watch, but you _had_ to keep looking. Arthur. Arthur. Think of Arthur, you told yourself. This is the guy that could see you. That…you had grown fond of. You couldn't run this time, you had to stay. You _had too. _A violent shudder coursed through the arm that grasped the knife. _He's coming. He's coming._

"Don't talk about madness boy. You don't know the extent of my madness. I told you, I'm not going to let her go." He said, drawing out a butcher's knife from behind.

Arthur's hands went into his pockets, you saw, maybe looking for a weapon. "And what are you going to do to her? Kill her like you killed (Y/N) (L/N)?"

He chuckled and the shiver down your spine made another appearance. He came down the wooden stairs loudly, savouring each _Thump! "_(Y/N) was my first. She was a mistake. But I've improved. All I wanted was Maddy, but her sister got in the way. You know how I like my birds, ripe and seven years old."

Your stomach churned. _What?_

* * *

><p><strong>The inspiration that I got for this chapter was from a game that my cousin lent to me that was based on a true story from Japan. I think it was about this village that were killing virgins because they believed it would do something….I swear, I have never shaken this much since Silent hill. I seriously nearly shat my pants. Thank god I went to the toilet before playing T-T<strong>

**~Verdigurl**


	11. Chapter 11

**Story: The Penumbra Effect**

**Chapter: 11**

**Rating: T for Potty Mouth**

**Warnings: Humans names used. Reader Insert.**

**Authoresses Note:**

**Ah~ I remember what the game was called now: Fatal Frame (Project Zero) No 1. Excellent game, highly suggest you go look for it in your into things like Amnesia or Silent Hill. Or if you're just looking for a good scare.**

**And thanks to everybody who reviewed and did other stuff. I've been typing this since yesterday morning so I'm quite tired**

**Song: Dear you -feel- ~ Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (.com/watch?v=TNjuS7xX6rs&feature=relmfu)**

**~Verdigurl**

* * *

><p>Re-Cap<p>

"_And what are you going to do to her? Kill her like you killed (Y/N) (L/N)?"_

_He chuckled and the shiver down your spine made another appearance. He came down the wooden stairs loudly, savouring each Thump! "(Y/N) was my first. She was a mistake. But I've improved. All I wanted was Maddy, but her sister got in the way. You know how I like my birds, ripe and seven years old."_

_Your stomach churned. What?_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 11- Dead girl walking<strong>

_My…My sister?_ You thought as you held your stomach together _Why didn't I remember something like that?_ He was now at the bottom of the stairs, weaving the chunky knife in the air. A draft from the broken window made the hanging light bulb above swing, the shadows on his face moving from side to side. Arthur stepped back into Maddy's knee and almost fell over. He quickly got back up and Declan stepped closer. You could smell that stench. It was the irony stench you smelt earlier! It was him!

"She was perfect, Maddy was. I'd seen her in her house, when I went to sessions with her mother. She had perfect purple eyes and perfect blond hair. I wanted her. I wanted her. It would've been so easy if her stuck up bitch of a sister wasn't hovering over her every breath. I'd planned to take her from her primary school; you know, just chuck her in the boot of the car and run for it.

But the teachers got suspicious and so they sent her to (Y/N)'s school where she was _'safe'._ Ha, I'd like to see their version of safe. Nobody is _ever safe! Nobody!_ "

Arthur clenched his teeth. "Why did you want Maddy?"

"_She_ took her away. That whore took her away from me. I was upset with my _ex-wife_" Spit from his mouth flew. "And when I saw Maddy, I knew it was Martha! She just changed her name, that's all!"

Arthur pointed to Maddy, who had tears streaming down her face. "This isn't _'Martha'! This is Madeleine William's! She is not your daughter!_"

The man just stood there, waiting for anything else from Arthur's mouth. You swore and looked at the door at the top of the stairs. He had said it was locked. Did this guy lock it behind him? ...You couldn't remember…

He pointed the knife at Arthur, in the direction of his throat. "Shut it. Your voice is annoying, even more so your eyebrows."

You almost thwacked him for that smart arse remark. You noted that Maddy was still strapped to the chair, so if you attacked him, giving them the chance to run, he wouldn't have enough time to cut the rope. So that idea was out of the question.

"So how did you kill her?"

He snorted, lowering his weapon. "If you had read those reports correctly as I guessed you were looking at you'd have seen she died of a bullet wound to the head and the chest. Yes, that's right. I know you're trying to solve the case of the maiden in the meadow. People talk, when you ask suspicious questions, kid. It's not hard to piece one and two together."

"I could say the same thing about you."

"Why's that?"

"The police never put out to the public that she had also been shot in the head. Only the killer would know that," He stated, pulling out his cell phone. "And I have you on speakerphone."

You could feel Declan's eyes darken, the tension in the room rising even more. "Well, no matter. I don't care _who _you called. I'll kill you. And then 'Maddy' and I will be together, for eternity."

"The police will be here in a few minutes."

"Like I said, I don't care." He lifted the knife high above his head, light shining off the fluorescent light bulb. The blade looked like it had just been washed. "Goodbye Arthur Kirkland! See you in hell!"

You didn't choose to move. There wasn't really a choice anyway. You appeared in front of Arthur immediately, pushing the man backwards into the stairs. You hissed, lunging at his face. He stepped back and charged forward.

And _then,_ _the white light filled the room, blinding your vision._

* * *

><p><em>You shook the rain out of your hair as you entered the foyer of the school office; to find Maddy there, in her wet pink, raincoat carrying that blasted fluffy polar bear, which was also wet. You had planned to stay late to quickly finish your art folio, but when you heard Maddy had been sent to the school office, you'd ran straight from the art block, which was on the other side of the school.<em>

_You fell to your knees and checked her all over. The school receptionist came over. Her red hair sat tight in a bun. She was a real bitch sometimes, but you didn't feel like being an asshole back. "What happened? Why is she here?" You asked._

"_A suspicious man has been walking around the school all day and a teacher had noticed when all he would watch is your little sister. They couldn't contact your mother, so they sent her here since you are her next of Kin."_

_You cursed under your breath, sighing. Of course they wouldn't reach her. You nodded and stood up, taking Maddy's hand. "Come on then, we'd better get home, before it gets dark."_

_You pulled her to the bus stop, stopping every couple of minutes to check over your shoulder. You both sat, waiting, talking about your day. You told her about the firecracker incident in English, what you had for lunch and what you were going to do tonight. She warmly smiled, kicking her legs up and down._

_And when the bus did come, it only seemed fitting too that you'd be out of bus money on your card. Great. Just great. You tried to plead with the driver, stating that your sister was sickly and could stay out in the rain long. But he wasn't having any of that crap and he booted you guys into the rain._

_You two walked for five minutes before Maddy started to complain. You held her hand, guiding her on the footpath. You were wet and tired. It had to be tonight of all nights too….._

_"(Y/N) ~"She whined while holding your hand. You two were walking in the rain, hand in hand. She started to whine again, complaining about the rain. "Eww! It's wet!"_

_You sighed, and took off your own school blazer and placed it on her head. "Quiet shrimp! You won't be wet now!"_

_"But you will be…."_

_You sighed again, running a hand through your (H/C). "Don't worry, we'll be home soon."_

"_(Y/N)? My feet hurt. Why didn't we take the bus?"_

_You coughed, scratching your face." 'Cause I didn't have enough money babe. If I had known that you would've appeared randomly at school, I would've taken more."_

"_Did Mummy get called away again?" _

"_Probably."_

"_What does she do for a job? Because we're learning about jobs at school and we have to ask our parents about what they do." She said innocently, licking her lips. She stared at you with big puppy dog eyes. You groaned and bit the inside of your cheek. How were you going to answer this?_

_You grabbed her shoulder and directed her down a lane that was in the rich district of the town. It was a quick shortcut to your house, shortening the time from twenty minutes to thirteen. There weren't any footpaths, but muddy feet meant nothing to you._

"" _She…does a lot of things." You said, trying to phrase the sentence appropriately. How could you tell her that her mother was a prostitute? "She works with a lot of men."_

"_Like Wonder Woman (Y/N)?"_

_You smiled t yourself. "Yeah babe."_

_You grabbed her raincoat and pulled her onto the grass as the rumble of an on-coming car behind us came closer. After about ten seconds, the car was still there. The driver tooted on the horn loudly, making Maddy squeal. You casually pushed her further to the side of the road, trying not to cause anybody's attention. She grumbled and pushed back a bit._

_The owner of the car pulled up next to you and rolled down the tinted window. His voice was deep, it almost scared you if it weren't for the rising anxiety in your gut. "You need a ride Hun? You look a bit wet."_

"_Just heading home sir." You said, forcing the words out of your mouth. "But thanks for your concern!"_

"_I said, do you need a ride?" He grunted, liking his teeth. You bluntly said no and pushed Maddy forward, breaking into a brisk walk. This guy was the creep that you yelled at the other day. You could smell the stench of beer and iron on him from a mile away. You couldn't breathe._

_Maddy stumbled, trying to keep up with your pace, since you were still grasping her hand. "Why didn't you take that ride from that man? I think that was very nice of him."_

"_YEAH!" The man yelled, screeching on the brakes up onto the grass in front of us. Darn! The car was now in our way. Crap You grabbed Maddy's raincoat and backed up. "You're just like you Mummy (Y/N). You need to be punished for taking Martha away, you whores. Get in. Now."_

"_No."_

"_Whores?" Maddy said, her breathing increasing. "What's going on (Y/N)?"_

"_Come on, I'll take you home." He purred, lingering on the last vowel. His hand reached down from the steering wheel to the vacant passenger seat. Before he could reach for the door handle, you ripped the backpack off Maddy's back and pushed her into the hedge behind you. You forced her to keep running, chucking off your own. "RUN MADDY!"_

_You looked around, trying to see anything in the darkness. It didn't help that it was raining, blasted rain. You pointed to what looked like a field or something up ahead. "Over there Maddy! That way!"_

_You both ran into the grass as a gun shot was fired. You ducked your head instinctively, running next to Maddy. She was huffing and puffing and she was very tired. You looked over your shoulder to see a fast approaching figure. You swore out loud and urged Maddy on. _

BANG!

_Something hit the left side of your back and an utterly, sharp pain appeared. You clutched the front of your chest, crying out._

"_Are you okay (Y/N)?"She yelled, looking back._

"_Keep going!" You yelled and then, you stopped. There was a brick wall. Shit. No, no, no. This cannot be happening!_

"_Got ya birdies."_

_You turned to see the man standing in front of you two with a flashlight in one hand a rifle in the other. His lingering grin was evident on his face even though the light from the torch was limited. You stepped in front of Maddy, who gripped the top of your skirt. The rain trickled off your nose._

"_Give me Maddy." He said, aiming the gun at you. What were you going to do now? You couldn't just run for it. But you couldn't fight him either, he's too big. You bit down on your bottom lip. Fuck it. Fuck it all to hell._

"_Okay." You choked out, grabbing her hand and walking over. Maddy shrieked and pleaded with you to let go. But this was the only way. You dragged her over to him, firmly gripping her wrist. And then, when you were close enough for him to lower his gun, you let go and aimed your nails at his eyes. Maddy fell backwards onto her backside, face in the mud. You grabbed the barrel of the gun and pointed it away from her direction._

"_Maddy! Maddy Run! Run into the grass! Get outta here!"_

_She whimpered, unsure of what to do. The man grunted and tried to push you away as he held the other side of the gun. "Hurry up! If you stay here he's going to _kill _you!"_

_She staggered to her feet, pushing of the ground with her hand. "I'll go get help!"_

"_Just get the fuck out of here!" You yelled, pushing back. Your hands were becoming sweaty as he wrestled with you over dominance. And then, he slipped in the mud, unable to support his own body weight. You took advantage, pushing him down harder. Both of you hit the ground with a big thud, splashing mud everywhere. "Your evil!" You spat, struggling. You punched him once, twice. You forced all your anger into those punches._

_He laughed deeply with sounded as if it came from his belly. "Everyone is! Nobody knows it until something happens."_

_He pushed back, flinging you away. He had won. He had the gun. But still, you stood up and ran for it. At first, he didn't follow you as quickly. You had done some damage to his tailbone. You sprinted over the grass, stumbling. The shot wound to your back stung as you ran, the feeling of blood dripping. Hey! There was some on your front too!_

_The man stood, his hands were unsteady. He was breathing heavily, watching you disappear into night. As a last ditch attempt at silencing you, he raised the rifle to his eye and fired his last bullet. It hit you in the head at a weird angle so that you wouldn't die immediately, but causes you enough pain to be disorientated. The impact of the bullet made you fall to the ground face first._

_As you laid there, drifting in and out of consciousness, you heard footsteps. It hurt. You couldn't think, couldn't speak. There was no room for thinking or emotion, it hurt so much. You couldn't breathe. Each breath was like a gargle of water. You spat out blood as he loomed over you. His words were muffled, braking away once you got one definite word._

"…_.Lucky...….n...…bullets…but….ie anyway…."_

_And then, he left. Was Maddy okay? Where was she? You tried to get up, but it was too much effort. You rolled onto your back, groaning. You coughed, looking up at the stars. Some of the blood landed back on your face. You cried out, something pointy was pinning into your back. It hurt, but you were glad about it. It kept you here. Kept you from slipping away. All you had to do was to get up and find Maddy. That was it. Except you couldn't._

_You lay there for a while, not knowing what was going on. Time, suddenly didn't matter anymore. You had no idea what it was at the moment anyway, What if you had been here for a couple of minutes and it actually felt like a long time?_

_Why? Why was the world like this? It made no sense. It was nonsense, really. Getting all worked up on some little problem, not that this was a little one. You closed your eyes and breathed in, feeling warmth on your face._

_You never did open your eyes after that._

* * *

><p>You were violently pushed back into reality, the dizziness of your most recent memory passing quickly. Declan lay at the bottom of the stairs, his head tilted on the last one. A dripping pool of blood was spilling onto the concrete. You stood above him, watching.<p>

"(Y/N)? A-Are you okay?"

Arthur had managed to untie Maddy. She was shaking violently. "Did you just say (Y/N)'s name?" She asked, leaning on him.

"I think he's dead." You mumbled, closing your eyes. You felt lighter, like a weight was off your shoulders. Know you knew how Atlas (1) felt. "Oh _god. Oh my god."_

"FREEZE!"

A gun poked through the window as a policeman aimed straight ahead, before giving the all clear. Looks like the Calvary had arrived, late as always.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Atlas is a Greek titan who supported the heavens and held the world up upon his shoulders. What a tough job. Imagine if you want to scratch your knee and you're holding that thing up. :D<strong>_

_**~Verdigurl**_

_**Hey I'm on Fanfiction=D**_

_**And this is crazy =DD**_

_**So here's the chapter =DDD**_

_**So review maybe **_

_**-**_ _**Carly Rae Jepsen - Call Me Maybe**_


	12. Chapter 12

**Story: The Penumbra Effect**

**Chapter: 12**

**Rating: T for Potty Mouth**

**Warnings: Humans names used. Reader Insert.**

**Authoresses Note: I find it really, really funny when people freak out while playing either a computer or PlayStation game. Amnesia is rated as one of those "Shat your pants" games that make fully grown men scream their heads off. But their responses are funny too.**

**Man: Oh shit I got a bag of milky waves!**

***Opens them* *Monster comes out of nowhere***

**Man: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!**

**.com/watch?v=L1RKuM57nPA&feature=related**

_**: DDD Lol**_

**Any who, I probably should shut up now and do my English homework. But I won't. I'll do this instead and **_**then**_** I'll do it.**

**Ta~ to everyone who reviewed and the new ones reading too! But seriously though, OVER 50 REVIEWS! : DDDDD You guys are Prussia level awesome!**

**~ Verdigurl**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 12<strong>

It turns out that no, he wasn't dead, he just had a severely broken neck. After the police handcuffed him and took him away in the ambulance, he went into cardiac arrest and was revived three times thanks to Defibrillator pads (1). But the fourth time that he went under his heart had taken too much damage and was pronounced dead when they arrived at the hospital. You thought it was a bit ironic that he died on the fourth try, since the word four in Japanese is _shi_ which can sometimes be misheard as _shinu_ the verb meaning to _die._

Thank god that neither Arthur nor Maddy was harmed during your freak-out. Although Maddy was hurt before you came, after a quick check-up they said she was relatively unharmed. Apart from the, rope burns, cuts on her arms, legs, lips and hands and a bruised ego, she was the same. You were happy that she was okay. But still, the fact that you didn't recognise her at first stung. You shrugged, brushing away the thought. You didn't want to think about that now that it was over.

That was two months ago. You hadn't gone back to the mansion. Instead, you walked the streets alone, free of the everlasting fog. It had changed so much. It was sad, but yet uplifting. At the moment, you were walking through a park that overlooked the city. Above the path you walked, the first cherry blossoms of spring bloomed, some of the petals floating down on the breeze. You closed your eyes and smiled infinitely, breathing in. Just up ahead was your destination. _Just a little further._

Your heavy school shoes thudded on the windy concrete path as you walked up the hill. The sun was bearing warmly on your back. The feeling of it plus the floating breeze was magical. It was li- _wait._ Was that a _green rabbit_ that you just saw running onto the bushes?

_No, it couldn't be….._

You took off running into the greenery, eyeing the rabbit in front of you. You noted how it was hopping in the direction you had planned to go in the first place. Your skirt flew upwards as you dodged branches that aimed themselves in your way. You puffed as you ran into the clearing on the top of the hill where _Arthur_ was standing. In his hand was a bouquet of bluebells wrapped in a thin, purple ribbon. He turned and smiled down at the rabbit, then noticed you.

"(Y/N)?" His voice was cracking. It was then that you noticed that you were at your destination, the cemetery. "I-I thought you were gone! You know, as in passed over!"

You giggled, baring your teeth. "Ha! As if! I'm too awesome for that."

He smiled to himself, casually trying to cover it with his hand. "Yeah, you're too weird to do something like that."

"_Hey!"_

"Thank you." He said with pure honesty. "What you did took courage. I could never do something that brave."

"I'm just doing what a big sister should. And don't talk that way! You did stand up to that evil man! You stood in front of him. At that time he recognised you as his only threat because you were the only living thing standing up to him. You shouldn't talk trash yourself. Very bad for one's ego."

He stepped back to reveal a tombstone with your name on it. He was visiting _you?_

"After they let me go from the police station I was allowed to hear more information about Declan and your case. Since they found dried blood on that blade that you had they sent it away for testing to see if it's anybody blood."

"That poor soul…..and what about my case?"

"They said it was confusing at first that nobody responded to their pleas but they have his confession on tape. Even though he said that he killed you and in what way they don't have any evidence that he did do it."

You shrugged. "I guess thinks will work out the way they want. I won't be able to control it."

"Judging by your voice, did you remember what happened?"

You nodded, never giving him the info. It seemed he didn't want to know. "Was it what you were looking for?"

"More or less." You sighed, digging your fingers into the depths of your pocket. You nodded your head towards the flowers. "Are those for moi?"

"Uh, yes. I thought you would've liked them. Actually, while I was reading over your file and I came across something interesting that occurred today. So, I brought these. Happy birthday."

You chuckled, smiling. "I don't know if the dead celebrate birthdays. "

He nodded.

"Who are you?"

You turned to see an older version of Gilbert standing behind Arthur with some white lilies. He was wearing a black suit with a red tie. Snazzy. He raised an eyebrow at Arthur, checking him out. "Are you visiting someone too?"

Arthur nodded, thinking of something to say. "Yeah, of a sort. I'm Arthur."

Arthur stuck out a hand like a gentleman would. He noticed how your mouth was still open. You could hear him now "_Close your mouth! You'll attract flies!"_

"Gilbert Beilschmidt."He said, shaking Arthur's hand. Arthur tried to not let the recognition of his face show. So this was Gilbert, the guy you would not stop talking about. He wasn't too bad looking. You laugh, jumping up and down.

"Holy crap! It's him! This is the best birthday gift ever!"

Gilbert smiled faintly. "This is just a random guess, but are you here visiting (Y/N)'s grave?"

"H-how did you know?"

"I heard you say her name."

"Oh…"Arthur coughed. "I just happen to now live in the mansion where she was found. I thought I would pay her a visit, since it is so nice today."

"That is very thoughtful of you. I came to visit her too. She was an awesome person, even if she didn't like to admit it."

"She sounded like a nice person."

You smiled. "She was."

"I think I should go now." Arthur said, turning to leave. Suddenly, you felt split between the two people you loved a lot. Should you follow Arthur back to his house? Or should you stay with Gilbert and hear what he has to say?

Confliction is a hurtful thing, making you choose between things that you could not. So Arthur chose for you, the bugger. "Nice to meet you Mr Beilschmidt. You too (Y/N)." He said quickly, before placing the bluebells down and sprinted down the hill. Gilbert had a solemn look

"Humph. What a weird kid…..did you know him (Y/N)?"He asked, pointing in the direction where he took off. He had a solemn touch to his smile, which hung on like a bow tie, straight and neat. And you _hated_ it. Where was his smug, cocky smile? His "_I'm Awesome!"_ motto (2)? Was this even Gill?

"Probably. You were always that awesome. Not as awesome as me but just about."

_Ah…There it is…_

"I'm getting my degree certificate on Thursday. A Masters in history. I know you wouldn't have expected the awesome me to take a subject so boring but it's more exciting than I first made it out to be. Lots of gores and war. Lots of saucy stuff happened too~ Kesesesese~ I wouldn't mind doing some of that with you~"

You blushed and face palmed, hiding your face in your hands. He knew how to get to you. "Just, ugh, just shut your mouth you albino!"

He laughed." You'd probably be trying to insult me now. And even though you're dead it still doesn't work!"

"Piyo~ Piyo~"

You smiled. "Aw Gilbird! Look at you! I haven't seen you in like forever! You haven't changed a bit! "You looked closer." Or grown for that matter….."

"I've met someone too. Her name is Erizabeta. She's awesome and I-I think I might love her."

You nodded and closed your eyes, biting your lip. It seemed that he _too_ was moving on like everybody else. It wasn't fucken fair. But it was life. Darn it.

"But I still love you." He whispered, sitting down beside you grave where you were sitting. He lay down, staring up at the clouds as Gilbird flew around in circles. Your eyes lingered on him as he yawned, stretching.

"I never got the chance to figure out if I did. But I think if I had enough money for the bus that day, I would've."

He closed his eyes and smiled. "Kesesesesese~ it sure is peaceful here."

"Yeah, it's even more that you're here."

"I wish I could stay here forever."

"You could if you wanted to. Y'Know. Camp out here under the stars. That's the life!' You yelled, pointing a finger to the sky.

"Maybe I'll stay here for a bit."

* * *

><p><strong>*2 Weeks Later*<strong>

"Hey! Hey Iggy! Hey! Check this out!" These were the first words he had heard out of his brother's mouth since he'd gotten home from the cemetery. (Y/N) hadn't followed him, much to his dismay. Maybe she'll at last be happy. Alfred was waving bits of paper in front of his face. "Mamma finally printed them out!"

They were the pictures of the prom night, the ones Mother had just taken when they were coming down the stairs. "Check out this one dude!" Alfred yelled, pointing to the third.

This one was of him walking down the stairs just before Alfred bowled down them. Behind him was something fuzzy, with the unmistakable shadow of (Y/N). He smiled,_ Looks like she made her mark on our family._ "Isn't that scary!"

"Yeah. It's a scary world."

* * *

><p><strong>:D I hope you all have enjoyed this as much as I have. * Hugs the computer screen* Merci beaucoup! Merci beaucoup! Merci beaucoup! Thank you Thank you Thank you to all those who've read this far. You are great people.<strong>

**And now, back to Fatal Frame, where I'll be scaring myself shitless.**

**Love Verdigurl. **

**P.S I also do requests, so don't be afraid to PM me!**

(1)Defibrillators are the electrical pads that are used when someone experiences cardiac arrest. Cardiac arrest happens when there is not enough blood pumping to the heart.

(2)I can't think of it the same way since I heard the narrator impersonate Prussia's "I'm Awe-some!" voice. It's really funny :D


End file.
